As much as I now enjoy fishing the Smokies, I still have an obligation to myself every year to carve out a little time to fish a certain GA trout stream and March is usually when I make my annual pilgrimage. For the last five years I have journeyed down to one of my favorite Southern streams not only for the wonderful scenery that the Blue Ridge Mountains offer but also to feel the "tug" of some serious wild trout. That is actually an understatement and it's probably more accurately described as a cross between a freight train and a rowdy rodeo bull. Sometimes you are just trying to hold on for dear life..

In my opinion, nothing beats small stream trout fishing but it takes it to a whole new level when you add a sprinkle of large wild fish some of which are 25"+. Now imagine doing the tango with a 25" bow in some pool up on the MPLR and what that would be like!! When you fish for trout that have a PhD in what not to eat and know exactly what to do to lose you in a hurry can make for an exciting day on the water. Small flies, light tippet and enough weight to almost work out with are all par for the course. If nothing else, it will sure elevate your game with a quickness or you will be sent home empty handed trip after trip. Of course a little luck comes in handy as well and can sometimes make all the difference in the world.

This was another great year for me. I got to once again do a little socializing with some of the locals and it was nice to catch up after so much time apart. Not so sure that they missed me though... The definite highlight of this trip was hooking up with easily a 23" bow who after a few minutes took off on a tear and ran all the fly line off my reel! She ended up cutting off my leader on a rock ledge. That was a bruiser... Fortunately, some of the other fish were feeling frisky as well and I managed to land about ten fish with a couple of standouts. After many fond memories, some serious heartbreak and many lost flies, I headed back home to TN. Until next year...

Tight Lines,

Up high the stream is steeper in elevation... some fishy looking water.

Then it gradually starts to level out... a nice run for sure.

Definitely a challange to get good drifts here...

Just a beautiful place to fish as you can see...

If you can get your drift under those roots without hanging up, you will be rewarded...

I did and was more than happy to have pulled out this fine fish...

However, that was short lived when along came over 18" of wild rainbow madness...